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For the first time in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves landed the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft...and for another season, the Wolves also didn't move up in the Lottery ;)
With the number one overall pick the Wolves are officially on the clock until the end of June. With this first overall selection the Wolves are primed to land another franchise cornerstone to pair with Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio. This was the first time since 2004 that the team with the worst record in the NBA landed the number one overall selection. Not since the Orlando Magic had the worst record in 2003-04, when they selected Dwight Howard, has this happened. The team with the second-worst record, the New York Knicks, dropped two spots to the fourth overall selection. The Lakers jumped from fourth to second and the Philadelphia 76ers remained at the third overall pick. Here is the full Draft Lottery results... 1.) Minnesota Timberwolves 2.) Los Angeles Lakers 3.) Philadelphia 76ers 4.) New York Knicks 5.) Orlando Magic 6.) Sacramento Kings 7.) Denver Nuggets 8.) Detroit Pistons 9.) Charlotte Hornets 10.) Miami Heat 11.) Indiana Pacers 12.) Utah Jazz 13.) Phoenix Suns 14.) Oklahoma City Thunder Though the 2015 draft may lack the star power of the 2014 draft class, there are certainly some intriguing prospects in this class. The consensus seems to be that the Wolves' selection will likely come down to Kentucky power forward Karl Anthony-Towns or Duke center Jahlil Okafor. Towns is the more versatile big man and he fills a hole in Minnesota's starting lineup at power forward. He may not have the low-post prowess that Okafor possesses, however he covers ground on both ends of the floor very quickly. He's a great shot-blocker and rim protector, he can hit the mid-range jumper all the way out to three-point territory. He also shot over 81% from the free throw line during his lone season in Kentucky. He's also a great rebounder and can cover offensive players in pick-and-roll scenarios. Okafor is a low-post stud that the Knicks would've loved to build around in their triangle offense. Okafor is represented by agent Bill Duffy, who was a former roommate of TWolves GM Flip Saunders. Okafor was the consensus number one overall pick for much of the college season until the much more versatile Towns came on strong toward the end of the season. Okafor is good passing out of double teams and has the potential to be a beast on the offensive glass. However his free-throw shooting and defense away from the basket need drastic work. With Nikola Pekovic already on the roster (assuming he can still play), the Wolves don't have a need for a low-post scorer who can't do much else. If I'm Flip Saunders, I'm taking Karl Anthony-Towns number one overall next month. A starting lineup of Rubio/Martin or LaVine/Wiggins/Towns/Dieng or Pekovic could certainly make some noise after a rough 16-win 2014-15 season. Barring any trades, the Minnesota Timberwolves will become the first team in NBA history to have three-straight number one overall picks on the roster--2013: Anthony Bennett, 2014: Andrew Wiggins, 2015: ?....
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Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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